Atlanta Hawks: Drew says Teague ‘has got to earn’ Bibby’s spot
Teague will have to go all out for gig.
You might have noticed Bob Bender stood in for Bibby during Camp Drew and figured that means Bibby, not Teague, heads into 2010-11 as the starting point guard.
And you’d be right.
When Hawks camp opens on Sept. 28, Bibby will be the incumbent at point guard. Rook’ is going to have to take the job from him.
“He’s got to earn that,” L.D. said. “It’s not just going to be handed to him. If he proves it, he has an opportunity. I will come back with the starting lineup we’ve had in the past. Unless somebody clearly, clearly beats somebody out, [then] that’s something I would have to take a look at. But I am going with the normal guys [to start].”
That’s not surprising since Hawks coaches spent much of Summer League saying they’d like to see Teague be more assertive. Plus, Teague has yet to do anything to show that he deserves the job. There’s a chicken/egg element to it–did he never really get the chance to prove he’s ready to be lead dog, or did he never really get the chance to be lead dog because he’s just not ready? Now he gets a real shot to show he deserves the gig, and it probably wouldn’t be good for L.D. or the team to bench a popular vet like Bibby until that happens (if it does).
Also remember Bibby still has value as a good spot-up shooter with a low turnover percentage. That’s two areas where Teague needs work. On the flip side Teague is a better defender, can push the pace and should be able to set up baskets as he learns to play under control (he actually posted a higher assist percentage than Bibby).
It’s probably best not to get too caught up in which guy starts, anyway. Bibby played a career-low in minutes last season and didn’t always finish games. Those trends should continue. L.D. is going to give Teague an opportunity to run with the starters and he’s said he will be patient. The rest is up to Teague.
– Steve Rosenberry officially joined the Blazers as an assistant GM to Rich Cho. It’s a promotion for Rosenberry, who was director of pro personnel/college scouting for the Hawks.
Hawks assistant GM Dave Pendergraft is a candidate for GM jobs in Denver and Phoenix.
– For those who have asked, Josh Powell has picked jersey No. 12.
MC
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383 comments Add your comment
Najeh Davenpoop
August 17th, 2010
5:55 am
“Don’t you think we’ll go to him and re-structure those last 3 years – he’s due about 69m those last 3 years – what if we gave him 80m for 5 years at that point ”
I don’t know if there’s anything specifically against this in the collective bargaining agreement, but this rarely if ever happens in the NBA (it’s a lot more common in the NFL, where contracts are not guaranteed and there is a hard cap). In the case of Paul Pierce that you mention, Pierce had an opt-out clause in his previous deal, which he exercised, allowing him to become a free agent. He then signed a new deal with the Celtics. The Hawks don’t have any such opt-out in Joe’s deal, as far as I know. In any case, Pierce had the right to opt out; the Celtics didn’t.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 17th, 2010
6:14 am
One more thing — when it comes to rookies, there is a happy medium between LeBron James and Darko Milicic. Just because you don’t want to play your rookie 40 minutes and revolve the offense around him doesn’t mean he has to be a human victory cigar who only sees the floor in garbage time. I don’t think any reasonable person was asking for Acie to start over Bibby in 2008 or for Teague to start over Bibby last year (well, maybe towards the end of the year when rigor mortis started to set in to Bibby’s corpse). All Woody had to do was find a consistent 15-20 minutes, allotted during some regular chunk of every game with more or less the same teammates on the floor, so that the rookie gets some sort of unchanging environment in which he can settle into a role and find a sort of comfort zone. If the rookie plays well in this comfort zone, then his minutes can gradually expand, whereas if the rookie struggles in this comfort zone, his minutes may decrease.
jason
August 17th, 2010
8:15 am
look at this and see what you think. This trade would work becuase it will allow us to trade the players that suck withouth us losing jamal.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachinetradeId=26jp5ej
SpaniardHawk
August 17th, 2010
8:15 am
Have you read this? Hawks Reach Out To Boykins
http://basketball.realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/68721/20100817/hawks_reach_out_to_boykins/
jason
August 17th, 2010
8:17 am
Pg-jamal
SG-JJ
SF-melo
PF-J smoove
C- Al Horford
SteveW
August 17th, 2010
8:22 am
All I can say is – I hope Bibby is working his tail off this offseason
It would be great if he could finish his very good career in dignity contributing the next 2 years, and not an out of shape player, who we’re trying to trade his expiring contract etc.
And it will make this season so much better for the Hawks
SteveW
August 17th, 2010
8:26 am
If Boykins comes in for the vet min. – or even if ASG decides this is the player to go into luxury tax for – I have no problem with that.
We have enough cash to sign 2 vet min. guys, and not go into luxury tax, if I’m not mistaken
About 2.8m under right now
I would still like to see us sign another big – whether Kwame, Josh Boone, Skinner, or even Elson – maybe in Aminu or Siler.
I’d just feel better going into the season….
SteveW
August 17th, 2010
8:29 am
Earl Boykins = Poor Man’s Nate Robinson – who I thought would fit well with the Hawks athleticism.
O'Brien
August 17th, 2010
8:29 am
I think Najeh raises a good point in Woody’s lack of offensive coaching skills. As a result, a guy like Teague who needs coaching, and does not have a consistent jumper rides the bench. Whereas guys like Lue and Bibby who can improvise, require little coaching, and can knock down shots…they are the ones who Woody plays.
We have seen Woody’s failure to have a plan B from the Boston series. We played well at home, but had no backup plan for when it failed on the road. And we’ve seen it every year in the playoffs.
His plan B is to try harder at plan A.
That being said, Teague will get his chance to play under Drew. So regardless of what we think happened in the past, it is up to Teague to show if he is ready.
Fundamentals
August 17th, 2010
8:38 am
We need some info MC if there’s a whole page devoted to why Acie could/couldn’t or can/can’t make it. He got multiple chances all over as did Shelden. Solomon, Royal and Salim sure did light up the league. I guess Boris is the shining star.
Would any of you want any of these players back? I tend to think we had “HIGH” hopes and they just didn’t ever pan out and thus they’re not excelling other places for the same reason, a lack of overall talent.
I’m dreaming about JC2 and Sy. Do they have it? Time will tell. They might be the next Jordan or they might be the next bust. Time will tell, but once again we got “HIGH” hopes!
SteveW
August 17th, 2010
8:41 am
P.S. I don’t think Boykins is the player ASG go into luxury tax for – I was joking BTW
Hoops
August 17th, 2010
9:35 am
This is funny-
While Hawks fans are dreaming up a way to acquire C. Anthony, the ASG is reaching out to Boykins!
Sometimes we limit ourselves with our own thinking!
O'Brien
August 17th, 2010
9:47 am
Earl Watson is still not signed. I would reach out to him.
I also dont understand why we havent looked into Rodney Carney or Damien Wilkins at backup SF. If we sign one of those guys for the vet min, we could look into trading Mo EVans and his $2.5 mil expiring contract. He is a SG, not a SF.
i_am_soulstar
August 17th, 2010
9:55 am
Najeh Davenpoop
August 16th, 2010
6:32 pm
“Division winners DO NOT get a top 3 spot for being division winners.”
They do, however, get a top 4 spot. For the Hawks to get a top 4 spot, they would have to either win their division or be the best wild-card team, which requires them to have a better regular season record than either Orlando or Miami if not both.
If you assume that Orlando and Miami are better than the Hawks, the highest the Hawks can finish is 5th, even if they have the 3rd best record in the East.
Najeh,
One caveat.
Because the NBA does not re-seed its teams and because home court advantage goes to the team with the better record, not the better seeding, division winners are guaranteed no better than a five seed, as their 4th seeding does not guarantee home court advantage in the first round.
KevinM
August 17th, 2010
10:25 am
No one would consider me a Woody fan, but I gotta say, there was something about Acie & Shelden that never clicked with Woody. I could say Woody didn’t like playing young guys, but I would be dead wrong there….he has given Josh and Marvin all the minutes they want and has left it up to the others to find playing time.
Who would have thought going into this season that Acie and Shelden’s best play came when they were on this team? Acie had limited success as he never adjusted to being yanked and thrown back out there between injuries. It seemed like a mental thing with he and Woody.
Shelden-rookie of the month in April when most of the playoff slots had been decided. I thought Woody was holding him back, but I gotta say, Shelden held himself back, and after he was robbed after a haircut during the day, we never saw anything else out of him.
BK somehow pulled Bibby for Shelden and Anthony Johnson and shocked us with such a good move. The team moved forward and got a bit better every year, despite how painful it was to watch at times.
I always thought as long as Woody won, he was going to be here. How can you argue with the success he had? He started with nothing, started with Jason Collier, Antoine Walker, Tony Delk, TLue, Boris Diaw and Al Harrington….drafted JoshX2, Royal Ivey. That was a bad lineup.
Again hard to argue with but the direction of the team still worked despite the differences in draft selections. BTW, we had our chance at Rondo, and brought him in for tryouts and still didn’t think enough of him to grab him 15 slots earlier. Shelden was pulled out of hat.
Today, Sund grabs JC2 when he thought that E#2 wasn’t coming back…I thought that was a good move as insurance. He picked up another draft pick, and should have gotten a big man out of it, even it if meant Gani Lawal. Now, looking back, we probably would have been more excited about Damien James as a threat to Marvin….I was looking at James more as a defensive guy and let him help out on the boards as opposed to a jump shooter. I can’t fault Sund for that move though. But James would balance out our roster more this year…JC2 isn’t getting any minutes for a team that needs to win now.
Now we seem to be plenty of depth in the backcourt and we get mentioned with Earl Boykins. I would think a bigger need is at PG and Rafer Alston would be a better guy to have in the background.
I think JC1’s days are numbered. He was a quick depth fix, but we really didn’t take advantage of ridding us of Speedy’s contract.
The albatross right now is Bibby’s contract. Zaza should be a min vet as well.
Thats 20M between the 3 and IMO there are 3 min vet guys that are just a serviceable than these 3.
I didn’t even include Marvin in that list.
Options are aplenty, but you gotta have someone who wants to give you something in value for a team that needs to win now.
I don’t see Bibby losing his slot even though JT moves us to a new beginning with LD.
I don’t see Marvin improving his game in 1 summer after his pedestrian numbers his 1st 5 years.
We don’t have that defensive presence to stop Miami.
We don’t have a big man matchup for Orlando.
Our offseason is still in need of a makeover. Can you imagine what Sund has discussed to make this team better? He isn’t going to publicly denounce any talent on this roster. He is going to make them seem like it will be painful to break up this core that BK and Woody put together.
The biggest thing that alarms you is still hearing that we have so many interchangeable parts and teams will struggle to match up with us:
I don’t want to see our SG in the post trying to play defense.
I don’t want to see Josh anywhere outside of 10 feet. He’s not a face up player period.
I still hear the BK mentality and I just don’t think much will change with LD.
Ramon, I just stated that Carmelo could be available, not that I wouldn’t consider him.
SteveW, you’re crazy if you wouldn’t swap Melo for E#2 straightup. Melo can have the salary of E#2 right now…no hesitation. We couldn’t get that lucky. Me, I am giving JC1, Al, Marvin and next year’s draft slots. IMO, the only reason to bring him here is to move Marvin out of the 3 slot and give E#2 someone else the reins in the 4th quarter. No matter what group of offers you provide, you still need a big man….
In no way would Denver consider a 1-for-1……we would have to give them 2 or 3 more pieces also. Nothing to worry about though; Sund has already stated we aren’t one of the players for a big name to come in here.
Would you be surprised if E#2 had a no trade clause in his contract?
We are building on the cheap, I don’t care how someone wants to spin it. We are in the Top 8 in the league….its as high as we will get under the cap restrictions.
The ASG is a buffoonery in the area of negotiations. I can’t recall any negotiation that they have gotten the upper hand yet. Josh is the closest to a good decision because someone else set the number.
One last thing on Acie: Law isn’t going to make it in Memphis if that roster stays intact.
- I guarantee you Conley is available. They are trying to grow Mayo as their PG. Give them JC1 or Marvin. I would like to see Conley work with a veteran lineup.
- They aren’t keeping Thabeet past this year if he doesn’t make the starting 5 this year. He will have a hard time beating out Gasol.
There is opportunity, but only if Sund is creative. So far, his #18 best GM ranking suits him.
Me, I would look to get Thabeet or Oden and see what they can be brought in for. We have overlapping pieces to offer….its time to formulate an intimidating starting 5.
This article is telling of where we were before the Boston series and what is still needed 3 years later…http://www.nba.com/hawks/feature/5_Questions_With_Hollinger_020507.html Biggest needs then and now………….PG and C……another offseason unanswered.
KevinM
August 17th, 2010
10:28 am
We just missed on not getting Al Jefferson. I think he would have filled our huge void and we had something to give up in return. Minnesota wanted nothing.
Melvin
August 17th, 2010
10:42 am
Boykins. Another vertically challenge (midget) player at his position. Just who the Hawks need.
KevinM
August 17th, 2010
10:45 am
Fundamentals……it is always exciting to see what the new guys like JC2 and Sy can come in and do.
So far, we have seen JC2 out of shape and not ready for any significant minutes. He is guaranteed a roster slot unlike days gone past where you could waive a #1 draft choice and only take a media beating, not a financial beating. Sy is a work in progress….he is old enough to have to produce to be here now. Personally, I don’t think we see Sy as an impact to our team at any time.
Those guys who have been here before……the list is long……Childress, SJones, Acie, Shelden, Lue, Diaw, Mohammed, JT, Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, David Andersen….the only ones I would consider are Mohammed and Andersen because they are the best C additions, but still not vet minimums.
Sautee
August 17th, 2010
11:11 am
Najeh,
LOL at “rigor mortis”
And I mean I LITERALLY laughed out loud.
northcyde,
I don’t think Woody was necessarily “selfish”. I’d call it “shortsighted”. And we’ve discussed WHY he was shortsighted for forever. No need to tread that ground again. And I’ll leave the question of whether his “shortsightedness” was selfish to someone who’s less weary of the subject.
truthspitter,
This is not intended as a rebuttal. I posted my defense of Bibby in the last blog.
But Chauncey Billups was a WORSE shooter than Teague for his first FOUR seasons. And Stuckey’s rookie year, he only shot a few percentage points higher than Teague (.401 to .396). And your perception of those guys is “they can shoot”.
My point is, that young players can and do improve as shooters. Given an actual opportunity, as opposed to garbage time, Teague may prove to be a decent shooter, though I don’t EVER see him as a deadeye like Curry.
Didn’t Teague shoot like 52% or something in Summer League?
doc
August 17th, 2010
11:19 am
kevin m in response to your entry that i have reposted from the other blog:
well nire. i am pissed but i see the irony of it, dont know if you will. the team that you admire greatly has just added the piece i suggested from the day after the season ended for us to get to balance our roster a bit even if it meant giving up josh smith, who you have oft ridiculed. true especially when i touted the possible long term outcome of the relationship between al and josh. you also trashed the idea, if i remember, from the get go of al jefferson suggesting there was nothing to offer. funny, the team that got him was one that you admire tremendously, the jazz. though i cant find the details it wasnt for the price of a josh either. i said the minny’s would want to get rid of him early on. again, it so ironic, it is nauseating.
i also suggested to pursue farmar as an adjunct and protection at the position that is next weakest, as well, at point and he went to the nets for a song. only our owners packed it in when miami pulled their coup. sorry, i just dont get it and keep my hands in my pocket to protect my money as they refuse to really go to be in the elite class. can anyone argue with four guys like al j, al h, zaza and josh s as a force? throw in shaq? could anyone not salivate at having a guy like farmar ready to pick up the pieces if jeff teague or “rook vs. jt0″ falls flat? you dont thing there would be a hum like never before heard in the annals of hawks basketball since the days of bob petit when i started this journey as a fan in 1957?
oh woe is me. well at least i can follow my other three favs in the jazz, suns and blazers to see if they can steal it from the big boys miami, boston or the lakers as our owners dont have the balls to do it.
drmaryb ^•^
August 17th, 2010
11:23 am
How long will we re-live the Hawks past draft busts?
Acie, Salim … etc. These guys are like the Lost Boys of Sudan -
(no disrespect to the Sudans) but, we are talking about privileged athletes who haven’t done much of anything to earn their pay status. Time to move on IMHO.
What are we gonna’ do NEXT?
King Teezo
August 17th, 2010
11:39 am
Cmon ATL…send some of them young birds to DEN for Melo…Peace…
vava74
August 17th, 2010
11:48 am
Northcyde,
Let me tell you straight up that you are completely wrong in one of your reasonings when you analyse both Acie and Teague:
It is extremely rare for a rookie to perform well when he gets to play only short shifts and reduced minutes:
First, they are usually nervous, dazzled and need minutes to settled down.
Second, their knowledge and ability to read the game is still developing so when they go in they take longer to understand what to do, when to do it and against whom.
Only veteran players have the knowledge, the confidence and an established personal game to be called to play 5 or 8 minutes per game effectively.
I understand that a playoff bound team may have difficulty to find suitable minutes to develop rookies, I grant you this (and a scared coach like Woody looking for wins at all cost to get his extension was in an even worse position to do it).
However, you cannot use poor showings during 3, 5, 8 or even 10 minutes of total play by a rookie to doubt their ability.
You can bet your a** that for instance, if Bibby was called to play only 8 or 10 minutes per game for for the Lakers he would produce and you would say “damn, that guy can still ball, come in read the game and influence its flow”.
On the contrary, I doubt that you will find more than a few scattered rookies (if any*) in the history of the game which managed to do the same (be solid subs for short shifts).
*since the rookies which had the ability to play that effectively got to start immediately or to play extended minutes
i_am_soulstar
August 17th, 2010
12:24 pm
vava74
August 17th, 2010
11:48 am
Co-sign, excellent point sir.
JoJo the Godfather
August 17th, 2010
12:33 pm
I’d pass on Melo since he’s in a NY state of mind…But I’d make a hard run at Billups…That’s the leadership that this team needs.
GeeMack
August 17th, 2010
12:36 pm
This is John Friel’s from the LA times take on the Hawks. He’s doing a 30 team preview of the NBA.
2009-’10 Statistics
Finished 53-29, second in Southeast Division, third in Eastern Conference.
Postseason
First Round: Defeated Milwaukee Bucks 4-3
Second Round: Lost to Orlando Magic 4-0
Additions and Re-Signings
Joe Johnson via re-signing, Josh Powell via free agency, Jason Collins via re-signing, and Jordan Crawford via draft.
Losses
Josh Childress via free agency
It’s difficult to dispute the fact that the Atlanta Hawks have one of the most balanced starting lineup’s in the NBA. All but one of the players average double digits in scoring with Joe Johnson leading the way at 21 points and Mike Bibby taking the rear at nine points per game.
While a balanced team could be deemed as a key for success, the Atlanta Hawks have seen their post season runs come to abrupt ends in the past two seasons with two straight sweeps in the second round with the most disappointing of the sweeps coming last season when they set an NBA record for the largest deficit suffered in a seven game series.
So the question is, how do you get over this hump? How do you advance past the second round for a legitimate shot at a championship run in a difficult Eastern Conference?
Re-signing Joe Johnson to $120 million over six years wasn’t the answer I was looking for, but if that is what General Manager Rick Sund believes then to each his own. Joe has become a very dangerous shooter in this league and has averaged 21 points over the past three seasons and shot 46 percent last season, while hitting 37 percent from beyond the arc.
The postseason was a completely different story though, as we saw a side of Johnson that we aren’t used to seeing. Much like the postseason before, he saw his stats decline and his shooting ice cold. He averaged 18 points on 39 percent while hitting a dismal 22 percent from the three-point line. Not exactly the numbers someone that is making $120 million should put up, but obviously the Hawks have put a lot of faith into Joe and truly believe that he can bring this team to the promise land.
Atlanta’s 53 win season was their best since the 1997-’98 season when they won 56 games. It makes last years regular season even more impressive considering they are only five years removed from finishing 13-69. The Hawks can thank Mike Woodson for their drastic improvement, but can now look to Larry Drew when drawing up plays after the Hawks decided not to attempt to re-sign Woodson.
One achievement the Atlanta Hawks can boast is that they have the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Jamal Crawford who is going into his second season with the team. Jamal averaged 18 points on 45 percent shooting while leading the team in three-pointers made in his first role off the bench in four years. There is no doubt that the Hawks are comfortable with having Crawford come off the bench and bringing nearly 20 points off the bench every game.
Atlanta can also look to Josh Smith as another threat on this multi-dimensional team as he has not only become a smarter player, but a better shooter as well. Prior to last season, Smith would sometimes rush difficult jump shots and not use his ability and strength to drive the lane. Not only that, but he would take too many jump shots when he isn’t exactly supposed to be the shooter on this team.
To show what a drastic improvement it was when it came to Smith’s decisions to shoot, in the 2008-’09 season he shot 87 three-pointers compared to last season when he only shot seven and averaged over 50 percent shooting for the first time in his six-year career.
At only 24 years old, Smith has learned the game and is coming into his own as a potential All-Star if he can utilize the strength’s that he has rather than trying to become something that he is not. The Hawks can always look to Smith for his defensive ability as well where he is excelled as a shot-blocker averaging over two per game over his career.
The Hawks can also look to a scoring threat in the middle in Al Horford. Currently, the NBA is not deep on centers with any big man having some sort of footwork being valuable to their team. Horford is no different as he averaged a career high 14 points on 55 percent from the field, good for eighth in the league.
With Horford improving season by season over the course of his short career, the Hawks still could be a threat for years to come if they keep their young core together. Horford, Smith, and even the greatly overpaid Marvin Williams could make this team a contender with experience and a true superstar.
Their pick-up’s have not been vast with only two new players joining the team. Josh Powell, being one of the pick-up’s, has five years of experience and has two championship ring’s to show for it with the Los Angeles Lakers as a seldom used back up. Powell has averaged four points and three rebounds over his career as a bench warmer.
Jordan Crawford out of Xavier has shown the potential to become a possible starter in the upcoming year’s after an impressive college career that is mostly remembered by dunking on LeBron James in a pick-up game. Jordan averaged 20 points on 46 percent and hit over two three-pointers per game on 39 percent shooting showing off impressive range and an ability to create his own shot. At 6′4″ though, Crawford could only see himself as a back up to Joe Johnson for the time being.
The Hawks bench could have used more help with Jamal Crawford being the only true scorer. Maurice Evans, Zaza Pachulia, Jeff Teague, and Joe Smith round out the rest of the rotation with toughness, but not much of a scoring threat with Evans leading the way among the four at five points per game. The Hawks need another scorer off the bench aside from Crawford to pick up the slack if Jamal doesn’t show up for the night and they didn’t get it this off season with Josh Powell or Jordan Crawford.
Don’t expect much to change with the Hawks lineup, but expect a better team than last year’s. It might not show in the record if they don’t win more than 53 games, but Atlanta can boast a young team that has won and is hungry for what they have strived the past two years for. The Hawks core continues to flourish with experience and if Joe Johnson can live up to that $120 million deal, then Atlanta just might be able to keep up with the powerhouse’s of the Eastern Conference.
Projected Starting Lineup
PG-Mike Bibby
SG-Joe Johnson
SF-Marvin Williams
PF-Josh Smith
C-Al Horford
2010-’11 Prediction
46-36
Fundamentals
August 17th, 2010
12:51 pm
Kevin M & Drmaryb – I agree we’re beating a dead horse. I just made my point to say every year we draft a kid and hope and pray he works out. Most times on most teams they don’t, but we always dream and hope.
As we move forward we’re stuck contemplating our two new rooks and possibly Gladyr and Teague for our future? Will any of the 4 be solid contributors? Who knows. Time will tell, but my heart and hope is with each of them.
All the folks who say Teague didn’t show flashes last year weren’t watching. Kid made some awesome plays.
JC2 might just develop into a JC1, John Battle or even Flip for this team. Each has a unique way to help our team.
Sy – I just like the kids swagger and height/build. I’m dreaming he’ll become a T Prince type for us. Maybe not, but this is my dream so stay out of it.
Gladyr – why not dream the kid might come over one day and provide us with someone who can reliably shoot the 3 and stretch the D at times. Can’t teach height, can’t teach raw shooting talent.
Maybe none of them will amount to a role player or even a valuable vet min, but they’re our hope, they’re our future, they’re what we have to work with.
northcyde
August 17th, 2010
3:02 pm
vava . . . I’ll keep saying it.
“If you can ball . . . you can ball.”
Ty Lawson’s NBA regular season debut came against the Utah Jazz and Deron Williams. Under his leadership on the court in the 2nd quarter of that game, the Nuggets went on separate 14 – 4 and 11 – 4 runs. Lawson would finish the half with 6 pts and 3 assists. He played so well right out of the gate, that Karl let him play 12 minutes in the 1st half.
But the 4th quarter was HIS time. George Karl put him back into the game in the 4th quarter with the Nuggets up 2. The Nuggets would go on a 9 – 0 run to immediately blow the game open.
Lawson scores 7 of those 9 points.
As Bonecrusher would say . . . he was “Never Scared”.
In his NBA debut, Lawson would EARN 26 minutes of playing time, and score 17 points – 6 assists – 4 rebounds – and shoot 7 – 13 from the field. He proved right out the gate that he belonged in this league. He performed at a high level when the game was still in the balance, and helped lead his team to victory.
“If you can ball . . . you can ball”.
Game flow from that game
Article from that game
It is important that I use a non-lottery pick in this example, to show people that when you are a BALLER, it doesn’t matter where you are picked. The only thing that matters, is if you can make an IMPACT on a game or not. If you show that you can make an impact on a game, the coach WILL PLAY YOU.
northcyde
August 17th, 2010
3:28 pm
“If you can ball . . . you can ball”
Dejuan Blair made his NBA debut against the New Orleans Hornets.
In that game, Blair plays 6 minutes in the 1st half. During that time, he scores 6 points on 3 of 3 shooting, grabs 6 rebounds, and most important, sees the Spurs go +13 during the short time in which he was on the court. A game that was a 15 – 13 ballgame when he entered the contest, turned into a 31 – 16 ballgame by the time he left the contest in the 2nd quarter ( only because he’d picked up his 3rd foul ).
He was active, and immediately made his presence known in that game. With the game in blowout mode, he would pad his stats and score 8 more points. In Dejuan’s NBA debut, he finishes with a double-double ( 14 pts and 11 rebs ), while shooting 7 – 10 FG in 23 minutes of playing time.
Game flow from that game
Article from that game
Blair was a 2nd round pick that people doubted because of his bad knees. He was out to prove everybody wrong.
“If you can ball . . . you can ball.”
drmaryb ^•^
August 17th, 2010
3:55 pm
NorthCyde
Great post to show an example of hidden gems overlooked.
If I’m not mistaken Blair has no ACL’s (a congenital anomoly),
meaning from birth.
Hey, you know what they say – You can’t miss what you never had!
Who is that star receiver who is a Pro – Bowler for the Steelers?
He went to UGA. He’s half Asian and half African-American.
(uggh! What’s his name?) He was also born without ACL’s also.
The good thing about not having an ACL is that you can’t tear it, if it’s not there.
Not only that, the other ligaments of the knee, when in a highly trained athlete?
Those ligaments become stronger and more supportive to the knee.
These two athletes would never had known they didn’t have ACL’s had someone not told them and they believed it. The go about their business and play all out.
Again, I don’t know the details of DeJuan Blairs knees, but, regardless, he is one heckuva’ player anyways.
Who is that Steeler wide receiver? He’s a little long in the tooth now, but that man was unstoppable as a speedy receiver.
GeeMack,
Thank You for the informative article from the LA Times writer, I enjoyed it.
How are you doing Gee Mack? Keep those hot and intellectual posts coming sir.
Fundamentals
I know man, I hope the new guys, (Pape & Gladyr) make all your “wet dreams” come true as well! ROF & LOL! I knew you’d get a laugh off of that one!
- Mmmmmmwah! – (a wet kiss!) & a wink.
Fantastic Posts from all you guys! Awesome and varied opinions for sure.
I don’t miss the “Library Man” one ioda’! (If he had some sense he could still be posting from the comforts of his home.)
rusty
August 17th, 2010
6:18 pm
yea nortycyde
you are still kissing woodys butt. he was the most stubborn & stupid coach i have ever seen in the nba & i been watching the nba since the fifties. the hawks make the dumbest moves i have ever seen,giving jj 124m has to be the dumbest ever. he is a ball hog & choker.
RCJUR
August 19th, 2010
9:53 am
Man….just play bot Crawford’s in the backcourt and you’ll see some improvement! Teague and Bibby can be on the 2nd unit with Marvin Williams!
Grandad
August 20th, 2010
1:21 pm
Don’t forget Paps